Sunday, September 20, 2015

A couple weeks ago, I found myself driving through beautiful
downtown Helena with a brand new pack of guitar strings that needed to be put
on before the gig that next night – so, I decided to stop off at a place I’ve
been hearing a lot about called the Coal Yard to change my strings out over a
beer.

When I walked in, Steve Norris – local singer-songwriter –
was on stage in front of a crowd of smiling audience members intently listening
to Steve as he picked a Guy Clark song I’ve always liked called “The Cape.” After he finished, he asked if I’d like to
pick a few tunes – I didn’t know it, but I had just walked into Steve’s OpenMic. I played a few songs, and I was
very happy with the stage, the crowd, the sound... It all had a touch of Nashville to me – where
people are happy to listen to original music and lesser known covers.

The Coal Yard’s stage is designed beautifully, and aside
from the aesthetics, the room is really designed with the acoustics in mind. First of all, the room has a great head start
with hardwood floors and a tall ceiling – wooden beams exposed. You also might
notice the stage’s creative use of cylindrical concrete molds which make up the
back wall, and if you have any understanding of acoustics, you recognize the
value that brings to the table by deflecting the sound while simultaneously
reducing likelihood of feedback loops.
On even closer inspection, I happened to notice that what I had originally
took to be simply screen doors hanging on the walls had actually been filled in
with foam and covered with fabric (sound treatment). Alright, that’s as technical as I’m going to
get on you, but suffice it to say, they were thoughtful in their stage design,
and it’s to everyone’s benefit – musicians and patrons alike.

Unfortunately, I haven’t tried their food yet, but I can
attest to the fact that their bartender won’t leave you there waiting for
service, and the waitresses were all very nice and attentive from what I could
tell. In between listening to the talent
on stage, I took note on several occasions as I watched faces chewing with
smiles, so I’m looking forward to my next trip in so I can try out the menu.

Tips on parking: Parking is super easy. There are usually spaces in the front, but
your best bet is to head to the back of the building.

Steve Norris’ Open Mic is on Wednesday Nights @ 6:30pm. Hope to see you there!